1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to offshore personnel monitoring systems, and more specifically to a person on board system that can be used on a daily basis with features for use in emergency and abandonment situations for off-shore applications including oil rigs and oil platforms.
2. Background of the Invention
It is desirable to keep track of the count of persons at offshore facilities such as offshore rigs and platforms on a daily basis as well as during drills and emergency situations. During emergency situations, muster stations have long been used as centralized meeting points to disseminate information regarding fire, flood, explosion, and the like. Furthermore, the muster station allows for those in charge to calculate the number of people present at the station and to identify any absent people that need to be located, as compared to a master list of people present, to ensure all persons are accounted for during an evacuation.
Offshore applications, including oil rigs, platforms, and the like, rely on muster stations and drills to effectively account for people aboard the vessel. This process can prove challenging because of the sheer size, complex layout, and potential problems in various parts of the offshore installation. During drills it may not be desirable for all parties to participate. Additionally, the moving machines, increased noise, and dangerous tasks present on an off-shore oil rig or platform can make orderly evacuation of personnel increasingly challenging. Furthermore, the emergency procedures can be time-consuming and confusing for those involved, particularly as the number of people needed to be monitored increases. Improvements in muster stations and drills are desirous for the safety of all persons involved, because time is of the essence in an emergency situation.
The following patents discuss background art related to the above discussed subject matter:
U.S. Pat. No. 7,916,024 to Gennard, issued Mar. 29, 2011 discloses a muster apparatus for registering the arrival of a person at a location based on RFID technology, and includes detector means for detecting the arrival of the person at the location and a controller, the detector means being in signal communication with a programmable computer for receiving the information. Each identity tag contains a unique code to distinguish one RFID tag from another. The apparatus includes output means for communicating information from the controller to an operator at a command station. The apparatus is arranged so that the information communicated is dependent on the arrival of the person at the location.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,868,760 to Smith et al., issued Jan. 11, 2011, discloses a method for accounting for people in emergencies in industrial settings. This method and system utilizes RFID and UWB technology to track personnel during an emergency. Ultra-Wideband (UWB) transmitters associated with individuals or objects transmit information to UWB monitoring stations which then send the information to a computer, which calculates the location of the UWB transmitter. The system can be used despite severe multi-path effects and can provide location information in 3 dimensions. The system can include proximity-based RF equipment for access control or otherwise for identification in specific locations. Information from the proximity-based RF equipment is also sent to the computer which also receives information from the UWB monitoring stations.
U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0250271 to Zimmerman, published Nov. 9, 2006, discloses a muster station and system for emergency communication. A system for providing emergency communication within a building comprises a command center and musters stations. A command module is located at the command center. Control modules are located at respective muster stations which are located in different areas within the building. At least one communication link provides communication between the command module at the command center and each of the control modules at the muster stations. RFID transmitters are distributed at the muster station to track the people in the event of an emergency, not distributed ahead of the emergency.
U.S. Patent Application No. 2008/0109099 to Moshier, published May 8, 2008, discloses an apparatus and method for process control using people and asset tracking information. An apparatus, method, and computer program for process control using people and asset tracking information are provided. One or more process control data elements are received, which define a location associated with a person and/or an asset in a processing environment. At least part of the processing environment is controlled using the one or more process control data elements. For example, the processing environment could be controlled based on whether a specified area has been evacuated or whether one or more specified personnel or types of personnel are present in the specified area. The location can also be used to prevent the person and/or the asset from entering a restricted part of the processing environment, identify any people failing to reach specified zones of the processing environment during an incident, and identify a current actual or estimated location of at least one person to be rescued in the processing environment.
There exists a need for a fire drill mustering system and method which addresses the problems and needs associated with the prior art listed above. Consequently, those skilled in the art will appreciate the present invention.